The Thorneveil estate wasn't a mansion—it was a fortress dressed in elegance.
White-stone towers wove into one another like spires of ivory, draped in enchanted glass and flowering vines from magical orchards. Servants glided like ghosts through velvet corridors. Inlaid runes shimmered across the walls, keeping the temperature perfect and privacy absolute.
It was beautiful. And it was a cage.
For twelve years, Alaric Thorneveil—once Jin Park, feared strategist of Earth—had lived a life fit for a prince. Gilded, perfumed, and suffocating.
From a young age, he had been protected more fiercely than any artifact in the duchy. His mother, Empress Lysandra, adored him. His father, Duke Caelan, remained distant yet watchful. No tutor denied him. No servant disobeyed him. No punishment ever touched him.
And yet… none of them believed he would ever be great.
Because this was the Era of Monoliths—the generation of monsters.
Children of war-gods. Descendants of forgotten beasts. Nobles chosen by primordial elements and ancient divinities.
And then there was Caius Everhart.
---
Caius. The shining hope of Elyndra.
He had awakened at age seven, wielding the Noble Flame, one of only three recorded awakenings in the past millennium. The fire that burned through dimensions, purified curses, and resisted even divine magic.
Caius's first public battle had been at age nine. He'd neutralized a rampaging elder wyrm summoned by rogue cultists in one strike.
By ten, he had already bound two ancestral spirits.
And at twelve, he was being hailed as the future sovereign.
He was the original protagonist of "Empire of Ash and Flame." The one destined to unite the fractured realms, defeat the Demon Ascendant, and reclaim the lost crown.
Alaric knew every step of his story.
And he also knew how Caius was supposed to become a hero.
By stepping over Alaric's corpse.
---
But fate had changed.
Because Alaric wasn't a naive noble child anymore. He wasn't the footnote sacrifice. He was Jin Park—reborn, sharpened, and prepared.
The only issue?
The world still didn't see it.
---
His public awakening had been… underwhelming.
He'd received the Infernal Thread—a power long considered cursed or unstable. Most believed it was a poor imitation of the Noble Flame. It was dark, flexible, and grew in silence rather than brilliance.
"Rotten luck," the nobles whispered.
"Poor thing. He'll never compare."
Not even his parents spoke of it openly. They simply tightened his guards.
But Alaric didn't care.
Because hidden beneath the surface was his true power:
[Binding System Active]
And unlike any other in this world, he could bind with people—and inherit parts of their essence, talents, or fate.
Not everyone. Only the powerful.
Only the worthy.
---
Two names now rested in his status log:
1. Alara Vael – S-Class Assassin – "Silent Blade of the East"
Bound during a covert duel she thought was a training session. Now she answered to no one but him.
2. Ser Targan – S-Class General – "The Broken Flame"
Once a war-hardened commander who had fought against Thorneveil itself. A prisoner offered mercy by Alaric. In return, loyalty—and power—were exchanged.
And now, a third name shimmered as a possibility:
[New Target Detected: Caius Everhart]
> Compatibility: 64%
Binding Method: Mutual Trust or Battle Dominance
Noble Flame Variant Detected
Power Tier: SS
Note: Destined Character
Alaric narrowed his eyes as he gazed at the boy across the ornate dining table.
They had met today for the first time in person.
---
The Thorneveil and Everhart houses had arranged a royal banquet. Not for diplomacy—but for legacy. The two boys were to represent the future of the Western Realm.
Caius smiled brightly, radiant in a white-gold tunic enchanted to magnify his aura.
Alaric returned a calm, unreadable expression—his dark robes accented with muted red sigils.
"You're quieter than I expected, Lord Alaric," Caius said, voice sincere but laced with curiosity. "I heard your magic awakened last year. Infernal Thread, right? Unusual."
"Unusual isn't always weak," Alaric replied smoothly. "Sometimes it just hasn't found the right enemy to unravel."
Caius grinned. "I like that."
Their conversation continued politely—shaped by politics and posturing. But underneath it, both boys measured one another.
One chosen by heaven.
The other forged in silence.
---
That night, news of the banquet spread.
Articles and scrolls flew across cities:
> "Caius Everhart Dazzles Again at Royal Summit"
"Heir of the Flame: Everhart's Path to Glory Continues"
"Poor Alaric? The Lesser Twin of Fate?"
The world chose its favorite.
But Alaric didn't care for attention. He only cared for leverage.
---
In private, the System updated again.
[Caius Everhart: Binding Possible]
> Binding Conditions: Still Locked
Warning: Direct Exposure to Noble Flame Required
Benefit Tier: Unmeasured
He closed the window.
If the world wouldn't offer him glory, he'd take something better—control.
Let them cheer for Caius.
Let them believe in the light.
He would become the shadow that shaped empires.
End